TAMPA, Fla. (February 18, 2018) – The decision to return to the Sunshine State just one week after his five-race stint with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 proved to be a success story for “Mad Max” Stambaugh, not only qualifying for the $10,000-to-win, Ronald Laney Memorial/King of 360s at East Bay (Fla.) Raceway Park, but also scoring a top-ten performance for car owner, Terry Busche.

The 360 cubic inch sprint car program, taking shape during the 42nd Annual Winternationals, was comprised of two preliminary events on Thursday and Friday, February 15-16, followed by the $10,000 finale on Saturday, February 17. Stambaugh finished inside the top-ten during each of his preliminary attempts, ultimately locking himself into the finale on Saturday.

“That was a lot of fun. We were able to show some speed all week,” Max Stambaugh explained. “I can’t thank Terry Busche enough for the opportunity, and David Diller for all of his hard work. This was more or less a last minute decision to come down to East Bay for this deal. I’m glad we did. Hopefully we have the opportunity to do it again next year.”

Stambaugh earned a pair of seventh place finishes during preliminary competition to open the Ronald Laney Memorial program, the result of a charge from the inside of row six, as well as a charge from the outside of row six, respectively. The back-to-back top-ten results were enough to lock Stambaugh into the finale on Saturday, eventually starting the 40-lapper from the outside of row three.

“We got distracted by the lapped cars, but all in all, it was a great effort,” Stambaugh continued. “This was a great way to build some momentum before the bulk of our season begins. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going and keep the top-ten streak alive.”

Max Stambaugh will return to his family-owned, Biggies Coast to Coast-backed, No. 5M sprinter and continue competition on Friday evening, March 23, when Attica Raceway Park opens its gates for the first time of 2018. The Elida, Ohio, native will focus on weekly competition at Attica Raceway Park before returning to All Star Circuit of Champions duties on Friday, April 6, at Atomic Speedway.